WHATCOM COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT NO. 11
Lummi Island
Fire Department
3809 Legoe Bay
Road * P.O. Box 130 * Lummi Island, WA
98262
The Firefighters Association met its fundraising goal and purchased a
hydraulic rescue tool. I am constantly
amazed by their efforts and the support from our community. This piece of equipment is a significant
addition to our arsenal of rescue tools.
On July 27, we received word that FEMA approved our 2007 grant for
$71,559 to purchase all new pagers, and portable, mobile and base radios. The new radios will replace the antiquated
and “piecemealed” communication system we currently use.
Commissioner Busch, Assistant Chief Stocker and I traveled to Florida
for mid construction and pre-delivery inspections of our new initial attack
vehicle. Unfortunately, a few issues
surfaced during the pre-delivery inspection.
American LaFrance is correcting them but this delayed delivery. We now anticipate receiving an apparatus
which meets our specifications before summer 2008.
This was a trial year for an on-line EMS training program to keep
currently certified responders up to date with their knowledge. We found the computer screen was not as
effective as an actual instructor. The
2008 Training has been modified to alleviate this issue. EMS and Fire training takes place three
Thursday nights each month except in July and August. In October, we hired a company from Tacoma to teach us about
vehicle extrication and how to size up, stabilize and cut vehicles to extricate
patients. The class was a huge
success. Fire Training covered
hazardous materials, extrication, pre-fire planning, command and radio
procedures and multiple live fire exercises.
The high attendance rate shows the volunteers’ commitment to better
themselves and the hard work of the officers to provide quality training.
The fifth annual Open House was well-attended and many prevention,
safety and awareness materials were distributed. The fire extinguisher program and training was a huge
success. Visiting the children at Beach
School during Fire Prevention week is always a highlight for us. The kids seem very interested in all our
equipment and paid attention to our talks about fire safety and accident
prevention.
The Disaster Preparedness program continued to develop education and preparedness
plans, sponsoring First Aid and CPR classes along with a booth at the Farmer’s
Market. A second Train the Trainer of
the State “Map Your Neighborhood” program was conducted. They were able to secure a Red Cross
disaster supplies trailer which has been placed on the island. Non-fire department medical personnel living
on the island met and developed a list of supplies and medicine that could be
air dropped in a disaster. With
cooperation from land owners, an emergency landing strip has been identified
for small planes to bring supplies and provide all-hazards evacuation if
necessary. There had been great
response and involvement from the community and we hope to see increased
participation in the program as it continues to develop.
Your three elected Commissioners do an excellent job of governing and
looking ahead at upcoming issues. It is
important to point out they do more than pay the bills and approve the budget. Each one spends as much time as possible
with other district commissioners to address legislative issues and countywide
problems. None of them elects to
receive pay for their activities and they spent many hours on
department-related activities. For the
third year in a row, the board unanimously agreed not to file for the 1% tax
increase allowed by law.
The membership dedicated 2,231 volunteer hours serving you; 1612 training, 222 performing weekly truck inspections and 397 hours on emergency responses. It is impossible to put an exact price on the value of our volunteers’ time but it would be accurate to say “a lot”. Below is a list of the unpaid professionals who respond to your calls for help. Please note the years of service each has dedicated to our community and the diverse professions of this group. Following the membership list, I am pleased to provide a snapshot of the 2007 financial activity, the 2008 budget and the 2007 emergency response data. The board decided it would be prudent to create specific accounts for our larger purchases and be able to set money aside in the future for replacement apparatus and other capital improvements.
|
Member |
Training |
Rank |
Years |
Occupation
/ Company |
|
Mike Moye |
Firefighter FR |
Captain |
34 |
Tree Cutter / Logger - Self Employed |
|
John Granger |
Firefighter / Nurse |
Medical |
31 |
Flight Nurse - Airlift Northwest |
|
Joan Moye |
Firefighter / FR |
Safety |
30 |
Tree Cutter / Logger - Self Employed |
|
Jud Elkes |
Firefighter / FR |
Captain |
28 |
Tooling Specialist - Wright Brothers |
|
Ernie Pearson |
Firefighter IFA |
Firefighter |
24 |
Operator - Whatcom Chief |
|
Judy Thomas |
Support / EMT |
Medical |
20 |
Teacher - Ferndale School District |
|
Duncan McLane |
Firefighter EMT |
Chief |
19 |
Welder / Fabricator - Colonial Metal Works |
|
Aaron Rupp |
Firefighter FR |
Firefighter |
19 |
Political analyst |
|
John Mulhern |
Firefighter EMT |
Captain |
16 |
Deckhand / Purser / Operator - Whatcom Chief |
|
Curt Stocker |
Firefighter FR |
Asst. Chief |
16 |
Home Inspector - C&S Home Inspections |
|
Bob Busch |
Firefighter / FR |
Firefighter |
15 |
Engineer Retired |
|
Shawn Bass |
Firefighter/ EMT |
Firefighter |
10 |
Self Employed |
|
Mike Rawley |
Support / IFA |
Firefighter |
10 |
Economic Development Director - The Lummi Nation |
|
Jim Lane |
Paramedic |
Medical |
9 |
Paramedic / Firefighter - Bellingham Fire |
|
Tom Lutz |
Firefighter/ EMT |
Firefighter |
6 |
Contractor |
|
Mark Cross |
Firefighter/ EMT |
Firefighter |
5 |
Mortgage Broaker - Security First Mortgage |
|
Alucia Taylor |
Firefighter/ EMT |
Firefighter |
4 |
Nanny |
|
Larry Roteman |
Firefighter/ EMT |
Firefighter |
4 |
Retired - Electrical Engineer |
|
Ed Scott |
Firefighter/ IFA |
Firefighter |
4 |
Retired - United States Coast Guard |
|
John Fincke |
Firefighter/ EMT |
Firefighter |
4 |
Retired - US Army |
|
Gary Poole |
Firefighter/ IFA |
Firefighter |
4 |
Deckhand / Purser / Operator - Whatcom Chief |
|
Mike Lish |
Firefighter/ EMT |
Firefighter |
4 |
Electrician - Gateway Controls |
|
Terry Terry |
Firefighter/ EMT |
Firefighter |
4 |
Director/Producer - Terry Terry Productions |
|
Robert Kahn |
Physician |
Medical |
2 |
Medical Director - Charles River Clinical Services |
|
Scott Blanchard |
New Member |
Probation |
1 |
Builder - Self Employed |
|
Lisa Lish |
New Member |
Probation |
1 |
Purchasing Agent - Gateway Controls |
|
Chris Immer |
New Member |
Probation |
1 |
Pastor - Village Missions |
|
INCOME |
|||
|
TAX REVENUE |
Budget 2007 |
Actual
2007 |
Budget
2008 |
|
Fire - Levy |
$
126,529.45 |
$
132,343.85 |
$ 128,910.00 |
|
EMS - Levy |
$ 32,412.18 |
$ 33,766.53 |
$ 33,008.00 |
|
INVESTMENT INTEREST |
|
|
|
|
Fire Interest |
|
$ 12,014.56 |
|
|
EMS Interest |
|
$ 1,359.52 |
|
|
Vehicle Replacement Interest |
|
$ 5,830.80 |
|
|
DONATIONS |
|
|
|
|
Memorials & Other |
|
$ 226.25 |
|
|
MISC |
|
|
|
|
Burn Permits |
|
$ 600.00 |
|
|
Grant Money |
|
$ 3,265.75 |
|
|
Ferndale School |
|
$ 56.16 |
|
|
TOTAL INCOME |
$
158,941.63 |
$
189,463.42 |
$ 161,918.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
EXPENSES |
|||
|
LEGISLATIVE |
|||
|
Legislative Services |
$ 14,000.00 |
$ 9,215.42 |
$ 10,250.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
FIRE CONTROL |
|||
|
Administration |
$ 25,875.00 |
$ 23,510.75 |
$ 36,175.00 |
|
Operations & Suppression |
$ 42,675.00 |
$ 29,566.65 |
$ 29,400.00 |
|
Prevention |
$ 150.00 |
$ - |
$ 150.00 |
|
Fire Training |
$ 7,800.00 |
$ 3,846.54 |
$ 5,475.00 |
|
Fire Facilities |
$ 7,025.00 |
$ 5,220.93 |
$ 7,275.00 |
|
TOTAL FIRE |
$ 83,525.00 |
$ 62,144.87 |
$ 78,475.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES |
|||
|
Administration |
$ 13,775.00 |
$ 10,469.72 |
$ 21,225.00 |
|
Training |
$ 8,000.00 |
$ 5,510.77 |
$ 7,825.00 |
|
Facilities |
$ 4,225.00 |
$ 3,283.54 |
$ 4,275.00 |
|
Rescue & Emergency Aid |
$ 17,005.00 |
$ 16,428.52 |
$ 12,480.00 |
|
TOTAL EMS |
$ 43,005.00 |
$ 35,692.55 |
$ 45,805.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
CAPITAL OUTLAY |
|||
|
Land |
$ 16,000.00 |
$ 15,909.84 |
$ 16,000.00 |
|
Other improvements |
$ 12,000.00 |
$ 12,281.86 |
$ 3,500.00 |
|
Machinery & Equipment |
$
240,947.00 |
$ 2,500.00 |
$ 320,000.00 |
|
TOTAL CAPITAL OUTLAY |
$
268,947.00 |
$ 30,691.70 |
$ 339,500.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL EXPENSES |
$
409,477.00 |
$
137,744.54 |
$ 474,030.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ACCOUNT BALANCES 12/31/07 |
|||
|
FIRE |
|
$
225,030.42 |
|
|
EMS |
|
$ 29,908.15 |
|
|
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS |
|
$ - |
|